Domestic Bliss
by Ezri Dax
Summary: Gail loves all the weird and wonderful things about Holly, even the weird way that makes Gail not hate just how much she loves being domestic with her.


**Domestic Bliss**

**I know I'm supposed to be writing for 'You're In My Spot' but I lost my chapter plan and then lost motivation, BUT I will get round to updating, I swear!**

**To get me back into writing I wrote the first draft of this little thing at 2am whilst under the effects of a sleeping pill. Apparently my creative side comes out when I'm stupidly tired and I just want to sleep. Yay.**

**Any who, I hope you enjoy this thing**.

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><p><em>What do you think it is to be human?<em>

_Do you think of unmatched intelligence? _

_Or of the ability to unconditionally love other people and other species? _

_What about the frightening capacity we have for cruelty and violence?_

_Perhaps we should just settle for being 'simply complex'? _

_All very valid answers I grant you, and there are far more out there, but most people do seem to forget the major social element involved, the societal community that we, as humans, need._

_It's a historical fact really. Since before documented history we humans have needed the comfort and closeness of others. Take look at the evidence on offer; the families, the tribes, the towns and cities that we base our civilisations on. Every time humans are in one society. Because we need each other. Because we're a social species._

_Think about it. If a person is left alone for a stretch of time they will start to become lonely and eventually crave the company of others. This may not happen immediately, or even for weeks on end. It may even only be for the comfort of being with only one other individual, _but the craving is there.

_They'll crave it and feel it so much that it aches. And that ache won't just fade like a physical pain might do, no, it'll grow. And the longer the time spent apart from people, or from that one particular person, the greater the ache and the sting of separation. It becomes consuming, that you can't do much else but long for them. Every day, no matter what distractions might be set in place, those pangs of nostalgia and yearning will come back just as powerful as the day before, or possibly even stronger._

_So you see, humans need others. It's an integral part of who we are._

Except Gail Peck hates other people.

That... is a small exaggeration, let's try a different statement.

Gail Peck thoroughly dislikes other people.

That statement is perhaps a better example, but it's still more what acquaintances or onlookers might describe Gail as. And they'd be wrong, although not entirely mistaken. Gail does tend to harbour a certain level distain and disrespect for other human beings.

However Gail Peck is complicated woman. She can be difficult and snarky, yet caring and almost startlingly sweet. She can easily cut you down and ice you out, yet take you in her arms and hug your pains. She's a woman made of unimaginably hard steel, but if you somehow manage to get past her high walled defences, she'll love you with everything she has, and then some. Multifaceted is what they call it.

But even with that brief introduction, the person that is Gail Peck still cannot be summarised so easily. So, let's settle for a different statement shall we? It comprises of only one segment of our blonde curmudgeon, but I doubt there's any hesitation in its legitimacy.

Gail Peck is irrevocably, entirely, almost sickeningly in love with Holly Stewart.

It's obvious to those that know and work with Gail. She's even said so out loud on occasion, though she isn't so descriptive about it. Although, one time, when she was particularly out of her mind drunk, she'd spilt her heart out to a sympathetic yet amused Traci. And she'd told her all the things that she loved about Holly.

How she loves the way Holly easily throws back her own brand of sarcasm without even having to think about it. How, the way Holly likes to push her glasses up with her right ring finger. She's actually seen the woman switch hands with whatever she was currently holding at the time, to then push up her glasses specifically with that right ring finger. How, she really loves the way that Holly smiles at her, whether it's the smile she gets when she surprises the pathologist at work, the side smirk she might derive when she's being an ass and they both know it, or even the everyday, smiling for no particular reason, smiles. She gets happy butterflies every time.

She'd sworn Traci to absolute secrecy the next day and had since been trying to gain some sort of blackmail against her friend… Just in case Traci's mouth decided to slacken.

But what Gail really loves about Holly, what is one her absolute favourite things to do (to the point where she'll deny it out right if Traci even dares to bring it up) is to be utterly domestic with her girlfriend. And with Holly it's not even hard to be, it's just easy.

On a normal day when Gail doesn't have a night shift and Holly wasn't stuck under mounds of paper work, where they'd both been working long hours and had come home tired, hungry, and probably a little irritable, (Gail mostly) they simply fell into a comfortable routine.

For instance, if Holly came home first, the Pathologist would hang up her coat, put her brief case in her office and then just take some time for herself to decompress. She might pick up a beer or two with a journal and lie back on the couch, finally letting herself unwind from the day's events.

Only later would she finally be disturbed when her girlfriend came home, and she'd suddenly find Gail's head in her lap, her uniformed legs stretched across the rest of the couch, complaining how Holly was in 'her spot' yet again. The blonde was usually placated with a welcome home kiss and the promise of food.

However, if Gail were to be home first, which was more often than not, the first thing she'd do would be to throw her things to the side and fall face first on the couch. Because that couch was _ridiculously _comfortable. Though, not a few minutes later, she'd haul herself up and actually put her things away neatly because if there was anything that Holly really hated it was to trip over things in the hall way that just shouldn't be there anyway. But then she'd return to her couch, flip on the TV and wait for Holly to come home.

And that was how their domestic routine usually started.

From there, should they not have any other engagements, they typically did one of three options.

They might go out to the Penny for a few drinks with the Gang every now and again, and Gail would proudly parade the fact that her girlfriend still triumphs as the Trivia Queen, no matter how many times Dov might get all sullen about it. Sometimes though they'll go out with Holly's friends too although Gail refuses to give Boobjob much slack. She has, however, found that Holly's other friends are actually pretty cool people.

Other times they'd have a date night. They'd dress up and go out to restaurants just like everyone else and good _god_ were the results worth the effort that went into looking nice. On a few occasions they hadn't even made it to their reservation on time because they couldn't wait. But mainly they opted to just do something fun with their time. On their last date night Holly had taken Gail bowling and it's suffice to say that Gail was as skilful with a bowling ball as she was with a baseball bat at the cages. She still hasn't completely forgiven Holly for laughing so hard.

Most of the time though, most of the time, they like to opt for a peaceful night in. Their favourite choice really. Usually Holly would cook for them, knocking a few choice, healthy ingredients together whilst simultaneously and deftly redirecting Gail's wandering hands from stealing anything during preparation. Strangely though, since dating Holly, Gail's reluctance for healthy foods has reduced somewhat. By no stretch of the imagination does that mean that Gail doesn't complain at all.

However, when they don't have enough food in the fridge or if Holly's too tired, they'll order in. Which is actually more often than Holly would like to admit really. It's gotten to the point where the Chinese place around the corner actually recognizes and knows their order by heart. Only last week had the delivery girl tried to awkwardly joke with them at the door way as Holly fumbled about for change in her pockets.

In any event, they'd live their evenings in the same usual manner and order; eat dinner, flirt unabashedly and touch inappropriately. All with that near constant, fantastic banter of theirs flowing throughout. And always followed by some sort of cuddling.

The end of the day more often than not found them falling into bed in a passionate heap of frenzied limbs and desperate moans. Lips would lock between heavy pants or a head thrown back in ecstasy. Clever, knowing hands would thrust and grind wetly whilst breathless bodies racked with those pleasurable, _oh God,_ so pleasurable sensations. And then they'd fall back against the mattress again, exhausted from the activity but happy, content and blissful. And smiling.

Gail's usually the one to drift off first at this point, the one with the heavier eyelids of the two. So she'll snuggle into Holly's warm body, pressing up against all those soft, yet muscular curves and throw a leg over Holly's hip. Because a sleepy, near incoherent Gail Peck is a possessive cuddler, which Holly not so secretly loves. Holly likes to pull her just that little bit closer every time. But it's at this point where Holly sees Gail fall asleep, slipping in the blissful slumber from her orgasmic aftermath in the arms of her lover.

Holly nearly always stays awake after, she doesn't know why. Her body is certainly ready for a rest, thanks to Gail, and her brain is usually total mush by this point- also thanks to Gail. But since she can't simply follow Gail into that sweet after-sex slumber, she likes to take her time just taking in her lover.

Gail is beautiful. She has the lips, the cheekbones; the piercing eyes that just about everyone will willingly point out to be aesthetically beautiful. Usually Gail's face portrays the perfect amount of airy distain to keep everyone at a particular distance masked permanently across her face, which Lords knows just _does things_ to Holly because really,

Is there anything more attractive than having someone who dislikes everyone, love you?

But in her slumber, that perfected air of distain disappears, her face softens and she relaxes into her natural state. And she's still beautiful, only this time she's not keeping up her walls. And every time Holly sees this transformation, she can't help but feel just that little bit proud to be the only one to witness it.

So she'll shift onto her side and prop herself up on an elbow, gently easing herself down so to not disturb Gail. At this point Gail might murmur or frown ever so slightly, but she won't wake up. So Holly will lift a hand and lightly smooth back the sex-rumpled cows lick back against her forehead and stroke it down with the backs of her fingers. She'll do this until she can smooth back the tail-ends of her hair behind her right ear. All the while just taking in her lover's face.

Next, Holly will gently trace a cheekbone with her thumb whilst the rest of her hand softly cups her jaw. In a second it'll brings back memories of kisses they'd shared together; desperate kisses, hello kisses, shut-the-hell up kisses, all in a swirling mass of nostalgia. Though Holly is quick to remind herself she can literally live in the moment here. Those kisses weren't the last they'd had and they sure as hell weren't going to be the only memories Holly will have either. She'll make sure she gets more kisses in.

But it's by this time Holly will finally feel the pull of sleep arrive. So she'll lie herself down properly and cuddle back up to Gail again but she'll pause to take in her girlfriend just one more time. And since she just seems to lack any kind of proper sensual control around Gail, she'll pick up her hand again and trail it the length of her arm, caressing her skin as she goes.

She'll start with the shoulder, feeling it's hard roundness with the tips of her fingers, and then slowly trace her way down the arm, fingers smoothing around the soft presence of a tricep and over the light, barely there swell of a bicep and into the crook of her elbow. From there the backs of her fingers would smooth along the soft inside of Gail's pale forearm, and she'd hum out her sleepy contentness, before lazily entertaining her fingers with Gail's and closing her eyes.

Always though, without fail, just before Holly could tumble over the precipice of sleep, Gail would mumble, and shift in her slumber. She'd turn her body round, pulling Holly's arms around her as she went, their fingers still entwined. And then, just as Holly had moments before, she'd let out content hum and continue dreaming.

And that's how they ended their domestic days.

Except Gail never actually falls asleep when Holly thinks she does. No, in reality she actually only settles herself, allowing her eyes to close and her breath to even out to a slow cadence whilst her body relaxes. Because she knows Holly will stay those extra minutes awake. She knows how Holly lovingly traces her body and memorises her features. And she knows why too.

San Francisco.

And the 2276 miles that separates them.

It had been some 56 days since Gail had last gone to bed with Holly. And she doesn't know when exactly that'll happen again. But she hopes. And she'll continue to hang on to that hope until that great day will come around

So when Gail wakes up the following morning and Holly's side of the bed is still empty, her heart starts to hurt all over again as it had all those days before. She'll then reach for her bedside table and pick up the calendar that lives there, crossing off yet another day.

57 days since she'd gone to bed with Holly.

With a sigh she'll then flop back on her bed and look over to the pictures on her wall, miserably brooding.

And she'll wonder just when she could have her domestic bliss again.

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><p><strong>You know you're in the fandom too deep when you actually see the distance between Toronto and San Fran and your heart <strong>_**breaks. **_** Like GODDAMNIT YOU'RE NOT EVEN REAL AND IM DYING INSIDE FOR YOU.**

**Ok, so this isn't my usual writing style at all, but I hope it works. Tell me what you think =]**


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